Patricia Monaghan, Ph.D.

One of the leaders of the contemporary earth spirituality movement, Patricia Monaghan has spent more than 20 years researching and writing about alternative visions of the earth. Raised in Alaska, where much of her family still lives, she considers herself blessed to have learned the ecology of the taiga, the subarctic forest, in her youth. She was a writer and reporter on science and energy related issues before turning her attention to the impact of mythic structures on our everyday lives....See more

One of the leaders of the contemporary earth spirituality movement, Patricia Monaghan has spent more than 20 years researching and writing about alternative visions of the earth. Raised in Alaska, where much of her family still lives, she considers herself blessed to have learned the ecology of the taiga, the subarctic forest, in her youth. She was a writer and reporter on science and energy related issues before turning her attention to the impact of mythic structures on our everyday lives. The worldwide vision of the earth as feminine--as a goddess, called Gaia by the Greeks--led her to recognize the connection between ecological damage and the oppression of the feminine in Western society. Much of her work since that time has explored the question of the role of feminine power in our world, in an inclusive and multicultural way. An avid traveler, Patricia has researched earth spirituality and goddess worship on three continents. She has traveled widely in Europe, especially in Ireland. She holds dual US/Irish citizenship and has edited two anthologies of contemporary Irish-American writing. Patricia is a member of the resident faculty at DePaul University's School for New Learning in Chicago, where she teaches science and literature. See less